


The One Who Fell +

by SapphicMetatron



Series: One of a Kind [2]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Rewrite, Some Fluff, Will place trigger warnings inside the work, mentions of abuse, more smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:09:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29620404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicMetatron/pseuds/SapphicMetatron
Summary: All was well in Etheria and She-Ra wasn’t needed anymore.(This work is a rewrite and deviates a lot from the original.)
Relationships: Adora/Angella (She-Ra)
Series: One of a Kind [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936942
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	The One Who Fell +

**Author's Note:**

> been working on this one for a little while. it takes quite a turn from the original. i never planned to make all these rewrites, but the whole story spiraled into a bigger thing and it felt like the right thing to do.
> 
> things are a bit rough in my personal life so i've been having a hard time replying to comments at all. working on this story has been an anchor for me, though, so i greatly appreciate those who read and keep up with my nonsense (':
> 
> i plan on finishing this no matter what. this ship has led me to meet the love of my life, make_it_gay_cowards (the absolute legend who wrote Trapped in Reality) and i'll be damned if i don't follow through with the whole series. it's kinda funny, the twists of fate that led me to post in this fandom at all and meet her. i can't even describe how lucky i feel.
> 
> so i dedicate the few, yet intensely bright notes of hope within this bleak story to her and our future together.
> 
> of course, my most heartfelt thanks to my bff for proofreading and editing and being awesome, and to my sweetheart for cheering me on (':

All was well in Etheria.

Towns once invaded by clones and destroyed by droids were rebuilding at a sure pace. It had been only two years, and the brush of rebirth painted everywhere Adora went. The road towards a full recovery would be a long one, but with Horde Prime gone for good, the princesses were unstoppable. Etherians were unstoppable. Kindness and teamwork triumphed.

All was well in Etheria and She-Ra wasn’t needed anymore.

Adora, the woman, had something of a job. She had inadvertently found a place as an advisor to Glimmer regarding the reform and assimilation of former Horde soldiers- and there were a lot of them. In a way, she was perfect for the role; Adora stood as a paragon for the pardoned enemy turned into a force of good and had the willingness and knowledge to be more understanding towards her former peers than the average Etherian.

Glimmer, as a queen, had many advisors at her disposal and soon gave Adora an official title to join the ranks. The role, however, wasn’t perfect for Adora. Politics were not perfect. It allowed for certain soldiers to never have a chance at reform and to remain in a loop of punishment.

It killed Adora. It wasn’t fair. So many were rotting away in the rebuilt Bright Moon dungeons (actual dungeons with scary jail cells) and nobody was doing anything about it.

Bringing it up to Glimmer didn’t help. Adora came to her office, the queenly office that had once been Angella’s. It was devoid of all the figurines, which decluttered the room, but the papers reigned abundant, drowning an overwhelmed queen at the seat.

“Glimmer, there has to be something we can do for the people in the dungeons.”

“One of them chose to bomb a school. A school, Adora!” Glimmer tossed the papers she held in a fit.

“Because he thought the kids were being put through the same tests  _ we  _ were given in the Fright Zone! He clearly needs help!” 

“Everybody needs help. Everybody! See all these papers on my desk?” Like flipping a switch, her attention shifted to signing this and that. 

Adora wouldn’t let herself be dismissed like that. “Okay, well, what about the one that was thrown in there for stealing some bananas?”

“And she would do it again, she said so herself.”

“Because she was hungry! Nobody would give her a job!”

Before a rant burst through her lips, Glimmer contained her breath, then released her next words in a collected, chilling voice, “you can’t fix what doesn’t want to be fixed. You can’t reform people who don’t want to be reformed. I-” Her shoulders dropped, her eyes fixed on the table. “I have to prepare a speech for some other planet’s royalty. Maybe  _ they  _ won’t think our story about Despondos and the magic warrior princess is bullshit.”

Politics weren’t perfect. The queen wasn’t perfect. Adora felt trapped by the pristine walls of Bright Moon, reverberating with the moans and misery of a nearby dungeon. This was wrong. She had to  _ leave. _

“Good luck with that.” So leave she did. 

She stormed out of Glimmer’s office, packed some necessities, mounted Swift Wind and told him to take her wherever.

“Uh, are you okay?” He asked, noting the suddenness of it all, yet didn’t receive anything but a tight-lipped nod from Adora. 

Swift Wind could probably tell she just needed to  _ go.  _ He flapped his wings and took her on a one-week journey.

The pair toured Bright Moon Kingdom. Towns and villages no longer shied away from the Whispering Woods, which had turned peaceful since the restoration of the planet. Some spilled into the territory of the dense forest, erecting brand new settlements in the wake of their former wartorn homes.

Adora thought it’d be a good idea to intervene on some occasions using her She-Ra form. Probably some of the worst ideas she ever had. In short (because she hated dwelling on it) innocent acts of help from a lumbering powerhouse yielded more destruction than anything, and a great many glares from locals.

This trek taught her to stay out of the way. Etheria was healing. Workers and researchers were finding ways to thrive from the land, builders knew exactly what they were doing. Adora found herself watching wistfully, knowing she would only be a monkeywrench in a surprisingly well-oiled machine.

If anything, seeing all of this put into perspective just how hard Glimmer worked to drag Bright Moon forward. Most of these operations were put in motion by Her Majesty, after all.

Eventually, the sight-seeing excursion came to an end.

Adora remembered Devlan too well. It was night time, and while there was no dancing festival or colorful stalls, the lanterns and fireflies lit the way. Soft light spilled from windows. Townspeople wandered around, some looking for home, and Swift Wind’s hooves clattered on the stony roads as the pair searched for an inn.

“Why an inn?” Asked Swift Wind. He looked the same as ever, though his attitude had somewhat muted. “The castle’s like, a short flight from here. Look, you can see it right up there. I can get you to your room in like twenty minutes.”

Adora groaned. “Swift Wind...it’s Sunday.”

“Aaaand?”

“Y-you know what!”

“Uh…”

She halted in her tracks, fixing him with a firm, disappointed glare. “Are you serious?”

Swift Wind, however, appeared genuinely confused. His ears twitched.

Adora only felt slightly guilty about her harshness. Except it had been  _ two years  _ of this routine, and he should be very familiar with it at this point. Adora gulped, then whispered, more out of shame than anyone truly giving a damn. “The  _ visitor.” _

“The v- Oh! You mean, Glimmer’s dad?”

A palm flew to her face. “Swift Wind...let’s just go.”

Together, they entered a large inn, glowing a hazy yellow from the inside.

Yes, Adora was avoiding the former King Micah. He showed up in Brightmoon Castle from Mystacor every Sunday, without fail, to dine with his daughter. It was endearing. Adora wanted nothing to do with the guy.

No, she wasn’t proud. Yes, Angella would be disappointed. But ever since she exorcised an entity of evil from the universe with her raw power alone, Adora found it a little harder to care about doing the right thing.

The host gave the hero and her steed an odd look as they tried to book a room for a night. Adora had to remind him that yes, she was the She-Ra, and yes, the horse was coming with her. (“I’m not  _ a  _ horse, I am  _ the  _ horse, ya hear?!”)

She halfheartedly waved at the praise and recognition showered onto her by the other patrons as they ascended the stairs and navigated towards their room. Since they would only be staying here for a night, their luggage was thrown at the corner of the room.

“I’m gonna fly around, look at the town, you know. This beautiful mane wasn’t meant to be kept indoors.”

“Sure thing, Swifty.” 

He flew out the window.

Adora couldn’t care less about the town. It held far too many taunting memories. It was too early for sleep, though, so she went to check out the inn’s pub.

Attending this kind of a place alone wasn’t her style, but there wasn’t much of a choice. Seeing all the drunken energy around her, exuding between the lazy haze of a small pub, rather put her off socializing with anyone.

She sat at the bar, in a way she hoped was cool and aloof, and ordered a drink. (“Yeah, can I have an uh...phew, an ‘Honor of Grayskull’?” “Are you sure, ma’am?” “Yes, I’m sure. Do you even know what a  _ Grayskull  _ is?” “I just get paid to make the drinks, ma’am.”)

And there she was, drinking, alone, and trying not to cough at the pungent flavor of this thing. No, it wasn’t the alcohol. It was the overwhelming yellow syrup they drizzled on very generously. She couldn’t even play the unhappy veteran stereotype right.

There wasn’t a role that quite fit her. Or rather, Adora didn’t measure up to anything other than She-Ra. It hit her like a cold bucket of water, and she had no energy to even flinch.

“Hey.” A woman’s voice startled her. Someone invited themselves on the stool right next to her, and was actively engaging in conversation, as if Adora’s hunched-over posture wasn’t off-putting enough (she had hoped it was.)

Adora squinted. This woman was familiar. Nothing stood out about her outfit: just a jacket, camo pants, white shirt. But that scar across her cheekbone, and the repetitive motion of her jawline as it worked some chewing gum…”Do I know you?”

“I hoped you’d remember me.” Mystery woman flashed a smile, and quickly waved the bartender over for a drink. “I’m Gwen, an ex-Horde captain.”

Adora choked on her own spit.

“Oh, wow, you okay?”

“Y-yeah! Yeah, I’m good!” This was the girl-woman she obsessed over as a twelve year old, the one whose chewing gum wrapper she collected...for some reason. Adora recovered from her cough, though she preferred staring into her glass to looking at the woman. “Phew, did not expect to run into you.” Did not expect to run into anyone. Did not  _ want  _ to run into anyone.

“I owe you a lot, Adora. I can call you Adora, right? I can do She-Ra, or  _ hero,  _ or-”

“Adora’s fine, please.” She forced a smile. “I’m not suddenly  _ not  _ me because I...whatever.” A tinge of honesty entered her words. “You really don’t owe me anything. You’re making your own life outside of the Horde and for the better of Etheria, that’s all I could ask for.”

Gwen gazed at her, and then it became apparent that she had a hand on her bicep.

_ Oh. _

“I do owe you. You vouched for me in front of the queen.”

“I mean,” she laughed it off with a shrug, “that is kind of my job.” And Glimmer didn’t do harsh punishments...often.

“It’s a  _ lot,  _ Adora.” Her fingers trailed up her shoulder. “And I worry that you’re not getting anything for yourself.”

Adora stared at her, long and hard. She brought the glass to her lips, savored the intensely sweet drink in her mouth, and swallowed.

Gwen was beautiful. And Adora could maybe tap into her younger self who creepily followed her around the Fright Zone whenever Catra wasn’t around.

“I could…” the words caught in her throat, “I could go for some- company.”

Adora wasn’t suave, not at all.

But she still ended up with a former Horde Captain she pined for during her teenage years in her hotel room.

The sex was okay.

Adora was too soft for one-night stands.

At least she stayed. They chatted for a bit, a sleepy conversation Adora could only half-heartedly partake in. 

Spread atop her, in the hazy moonlight, Gwen noticed something on Adora’s abdomen. “What’s this?” She asked. Adora didn’t even have to look down, only feel Gwen’s fingertip tracing the long horizontal scar across her middle.

Adora shrugged. “Ugly war injury.”

“She-Ra can’t make it fade away?” Gwen added a giggle to that.

“Some wounds don’t heal right and, I don’t know, She-Ra couldn’t help this one.” Her eyes drifted. “Maybe I haven’t tried hard enough.”

Gwen eventually drifted off.

Swift Wind wasn’t happy when he came home, but at least he agreed not to cause a ruckus at 1AM and wait until morning.

Adora fell asleep with a warm body pressed against her chest.

Waves.

Popping and swirling right next to her ear.

Devlan town wasn’t  _ that  _ close to the coast, was it? It was when the cold water licked her ear and her toes curled in reaction, that she considered Swift Wind  _ may  _ have gotten back at her for fucking someone in their shared room, by dragging her to the coast in her sleep. 

Adora opened her eyes, and was met with morning daylight against a very,  _ very  _ densely cloudy sky. So thick and fluffy those clouds were they made her hungry for some ice-cream. 

Then, she looked down at herself, wondering if she was laid out here in the nude.

A head of pinkish hair rested against her chest. Relief and affection flooded her, right before the panic slapped her across the face.

“A-Angella?!” Her body jerked. The angelic woman jumped with a gasp.

“Adora!”

“What are you doing here?!”

“I-”

“You-you’re here to haunt me. I knew it!” Adora threw herself on her hands and knees to plead for her life. “I’m so sorry! She doesn’t mean anything! I swear!”

“Adora, what are you-”

“Please forgive me!”

“Stop!” 

Adora clenched her eyes shut and awaited punishment.

Instead, the angel let out a long, suffering sigh. “Look at me.”

The gentle tone wrapped her in a sense of security. Adora pushed herself up and stared into the face of the woman who knelt across her.

It was undoubtedly, undeniably Angella. Angles smooth yet sharp, eyes an amethyst pool of both kindness and severity. But, for now, she revealed nothing but compassion. The pearlescent earrings hung from her hairline and her ears, and a pure white robe hugged her figure like a strapless dress.

This was Angella, after all these years, after all this grief. Adora slowly, but surely, crumpled into her lap.

“It’s...it’s you.”

“How long has it been?” Her arms held Adora close.

“Two years...and a half I think.”

A soft giggle left her. “You haven’t changed much. As dramatic as ever. Never thought I’d meet someone who would outdo me.”

Adora poked her side. “I wouldn’t bet on that.”

“What’s this you were going on about?”

This was...really weird. A torturous dream of some sort. Adora had dreamed of Angella in the past, but they were always such hazy dreams, almost always at night, and she never quite saw her face. Couldn’t speak to her either, as if Adora’s mouth had been stuffed with cotton.

But here, here she could unleash everything, if she chose to. Except Angella felt too real, and there was so much she could say and so much that she  _ shouldn’t.  _

“I slept with someone.” Adora thought of turning this into a joke about how it was that same chick she told Angella about all that long ago, back when they traversed the same town.

She chose not to. Angella’s fingers hesitated for a second, then continued carding through her blonde locks of hair. “I’m happy for you.”

Adora climbed up her figure, rising to her knees until she was looking at Angella in the eye. A soft touch tucked pink strands behind darkening lavender ears. Adora cocked her head and smirked. “I kind of hoped you’d be jealous.”

Angella opened her mouth, but perhaps had no quip to come back with. She chose to stare out into the ocean in dismissal, smiling faintly.

“You totally are jealous.”

In the next moment, a pair of hands cupped her jawline and her lips were silenced. “And you’re a fool.”

With that, taking advantage of Adora’s stupefied petrification, Angella rose to her feet and walked away.

“H-hey.” Adora shook it off and stumbled forward. “Hey! Wait!”

A sudden light consumed everything. It came from the east and poured through the palm trees.

And then it was morning.

“Get  _ out  _ of here! You don’t get to fraternize with She-Ra without her steed’s  _ explicit and thorough  _ vetting! And you didn’t pass anyway!” Swift Wind spooked Gwen away, colorful wings spread so wide they bumped against the ceiling of the room. He was waving around that horn rather threateningly.

Adora uselessly watched, hair frizzed and sticking in all directions, as the poor woman grabbed her clothes, tossed her a sheepish smile, and ran from the room still nude. 

Adora wrapped herself in a blanket to close the door. “Was that necessary, Swift Wind?”

“Yes!” He snapped at her, incredulous. “What were you thinking, bringing some random woman in like it’s nothing?!”

Indignant, Adora sputtered until she settled for a retort, “I-I am an adult, Swift Wind, and I know what I’m doing!”

“Oh, so you  _ wanted  _ her to,” he reached down with muzzle and grabbed a wallet, then continued his muffled tirade, “ _ th _ teal your money?!” He spat the wallet at Adora, who struggled to catch it. “Huh?! Was that intentional?”

Just a quick glance revealed obvious tampering. The clasp was undone, the zipper drawn back, and the notes were crumpled as if shoved in haphazardly upon being caught. The woes of being comfortably wealthy (though she would never whine out loud, aware of her own privilege.)

Adora sighed, closed down her wallet and let her arms fall limp at her sides. “No, no it wasn’t.”

In truth, she felt nothing but defeat.

Swift Wind finished their silent journey back to Brightmoon castle. Being absent for long enough, Adora thought it’d be appropriate to enter through the main gates.

It wasn’t a common occurrence. The stretch of path leading up to the castle brought back memories of coming home from the thick of war and being greeted by an aloof winged figure, sparkling with the glow of the Moonstone above her head.

The guards saluted at Adora’s approach. She remained outwardly indifferent, but briefly rejoiced in, at least, having changed this part of the status quo for the good. She was a well-respected hero across Etheria, now. Not even the royal guards could deny her legitimacy.

Things could’ve gone two ways in Adora’s mind. Either she crossed the castle and arrived at her chambers uninterrupted, or Glimmer was waiting beyond the doors to bombard her with questions about her whereabouts.

A worse case scenario she hadn’t even considered happened instead, that of former King Micah (now Prof. Micah)  _ still  _ being here for  _ some fucking reason  _ on a goddamn  _ Monday. _

Her heart skipped a beat when the gates opened to reveal a father and his daughter sharing very affectionate goodbyes. Hugs, holding hands, and a brief kiss on a fuzzy bearded cheek. 

“Dad, don’t worry, I’ll still be here next week.”

“I know honey bun, but  _ anything  _ could happen and-” he had to turn around before Adora could hop on Swift Wind and abscond, “ah! Hello! Adora, Hero of Etheria, did not expect to run into you today.”

Prof. Micah sparkled in a way that was his alone. The man was always all radiant smiles and sweetness, and if he wasn’t a father figure to someone, he was probably more of an uncle. It was simply impossible to hate him.

Adora short-circuited. “I-I, um…”

“Guys,” Swift Wind started, “I’m hungry. So I’m gonna go get some hay. See ya!” He then dashed away, the traitor.

“I…”

“Adora, are you okay?” Glimmer interjected, sensing something off, perhaps knowing too well with the way she narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah! It’s just early, you know.” She fidgeted with her hair, then gave Prof. Micah his due greeting. “Hey,  _ Professor  _ Micah I, uh, didn’t expect to see you either!”

He stepped close and held her shoulders. His hands were warm and comforting. Or they would be for someone else. “No. You, Adora, you call me Micah. You have deeply earned my respect for saving my daughter and my home.”

“I-I know. You’ve been thanking me for two years.”

“And I’ve been trying to get you to call me  _ Micah  _ for about that time!” He laughed and gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “I’ll thank you for the rest of my days, what you did is invaluable.”

_ I think I’m gonna vomit. _

“Dad,” Glimmer stepped in to pry her father away. “Adora probably really needs a shower.”

“Gee, thanks Glimmer.”

Micah’s cackle was large and round. “Alright, alright. I get it. I’ll be on my way.” He finally moved past Adora. “Hope to see you around Mystacor soon. The doors to my classroom are wide open.”

“Thanks.” The gates closed, and Prof. Micah was gone. Adora let go of the breath she was holding.

Apparently, she couldn’t catch a break. Glimmer was giving her the mother of all glares.

“Look. I’m trying. I’m really trying. It’s probably  _ always  _ going to be awkward-”

“Where were you last night?”

Glimmer had changed over the years. She grew into the teal cape, got a neat haircut. The stress of the job slimmed her down ever so slightly and made Adora see mirages of a woman long gone if she squinted.

She wasn’t being a good friend. She should be around more often, if only to make sure Glimmer wasn’t skipping dinner to comply with some alien dignitary’s insane timezone,  _ regardless _ of their disagreements.

And, well, Bow wasn’t around as much either. He had a good reason: he had found purpose in helping restore Salineas with his inventions. Still, Adora had to try to be better than that. She wished she didn’t have to.

“I was…” her gaze dropped, “at Devlan. Rented a room.”

“You were avoiding my dad.”

A shrug.

Glimmer shook her head, but said nothing else. She excused herself to attend the call of her duty.

Back in her room, Adora set the bags by the foot of her bed, slipped out of her heavy boots, and flopped onto her mattress. 

Her own chambers hadn’t evolved much over the years. Whatever new stuff she owned she shoved into the closets or drawers and forgot about.

The crystals hanging from the ceiling were the very same, and fluttered slightly in the afternoon wind.

When she went to bed, the nightlight still lit the path to her slumber. That same nightlight, the gift from Angella delivered by General Juliet. She was still around the castle, not quite as perky, but determined to serve Glimmer as well as she served her mother.

It was easier not to get sentimental while staring at it. It was just Adora’s stupid smug face shaped into glass.

_ Someone sees me this way,  _ Adora thought. Not smug, but dependable and strong.

Perhaps she should try to find whoever crafted it.

Adora realized she had drifted off when she found herself back at the beach, slowly coming to herself. The weight on her chest shifted and vanished, footsteps on the sand growing faraway.

“W-wait…” When Adora gathered the energy to sit up, the other woman was gone. There was no trace of her around, not even marks on the damp sand.

So she contemplated the dream’s surroundings; clear ocean as far as the eye could see towards the west, a tree line of tropical flora towards the east. The rustling leaves were shaded in purplish hues, while the trunks and stems were a soft green. A rather alien look to the nature of this warped mind realm.

The sky was always cloudy. The sun always shone. Rays a pure golden sparkled everywhere, but did not light the path towards Angella.

Adora stood. Her own tunic, which clasped over her shoulders, stuck to her skin with saltwater. It felt annoying, but it would do. Set in her goal, she walked up the beach and into the treeline.

The grass was itchy against the bare skin of her arms and legs. As far as she could see, however, there were no creepy bugs or larger animals swinging from the treetops nor slithering across the floor. Adora was very much alone. The silence wrapped her in its unsettling blanket as she moved further and further away from the sea.

But then the roaring came back. Adora thought she was hearing things, but soon enough…

She emerged from the trees back onto the coast.

“Well that was a waste.” Did she even walk in a straight line? Since this was a dream, Adora didn’t think it would matter.

Her next move was to sprint along the shoreline. She breathed in and out steadily. Things looked the same for a long stretch of land, until the treeline elevated into a wall of cliffs. And atop one of these cliffs was a house.

“That’s something.” Adora breathed out, then raced around to climb up the rocky wall. Against the distant view of waves breaching the ocean was a round home built out of white stone. The craft was simply immaculate, perfect angles, gorgeous engravings into the doorframe. It was a pretty house.

Beyond it, however, she saw a figure sitting at the edge of the protruding rocks. Pink hair billowed in the wind. “Angella.” Adora crossed the distance. Suddenly the house meant nothing to her curiosity, not as long as this angelic woman remained ever so scarce in her life. “I found you.”

Angella took her time rising to her feet. She looked...exhausted, yet she affectionately gazed at Adora. “You didn’t have to.”

“Of course, I did!” Adora threw her arms around this silly woman’s waist. That flowery aroma flooded her nostrils. “It’s...it’s been two years, Angella. Two whole years. I’m not...even if this is a dream, I’m not passing up the chance to talk to  _ some  _ of you. Or just be with you.”

Angella, finally, held her back, welcomed her by pulling into her lavender chest. Adora felt tingles at the need in her touch, at the way she nestled her nose into her blonde hair and searched for her familiar scents as much as Adora did for her.

“I wish I could tell you just how long it’s been for me.”

Hearing that hurt like tiny needles prickling Adora’s chest. She gently kissed her pastel neck, and ran her fingers across a nude back. “Must be awful, huh? The...space between dimensions, or whatever.”

Angella stiffened for a moment, before it dissolved in a suffering sigh. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell a day and a year apart.” Pulling back, she took Adora’s cheeks in her palms. Eyes the color of dusk gazed into baby blue, “I want you to move on. Please don’t feel guilty for taking those steps. So don’t...don’t look for me.”

Adora rolled her eyes. “She didn’t mean anything, I swear.”

“I mean it. It’s  _ fine.”  _ Her hands dropped to Adora’s shoulders. “I’m the last person to be judging you on what you do in your romantic life after your-” she hesitated, “previous partner’s death.”

“She just wanted to steal from me.”

“Oh.” Angella’s eyes sharpened into a glare. “Oh, dear. The  _ gall. _ I suppose she’ll hear from me.”

“No.” Adora pulled Angella down for a possessive kiss. “No, don’t go. Haunt  _ me.” _

“First of all, I’m not a  _ ghost,  _ and second, please tell me you at least-” Angella shrieked, and only then did Adora notice how pushy she had been with her embracing, so much so that she was nudging her angel off the cliff.

Her wings fluttered in alarm, until Adora pulled her back by the waist.

“Sorry.” Adora said with a tiny grin. 

“Do you  _ want  _ me to be a ghost?”

“No!”

Pressed together, they felt each other’s laughter. Angella smiled at her, biting her lip, though it was everything coy and loving rather than lustful.

For long beats of silence, they simply gazed at one another.

Touch between them was so natural, so meant to be. It should’ve never stopped.

Angella sighed, then looked out into the ocean. “I...am happy to see you. Don’t misunderstand me.”

Adora pressed her cheek into her chest. “I think I’d know if you  _ really  _ didn’t want me around.”

Their embrace was torn apart by Angella stepping back. She frowned with concern. “Tell me you’re happy.”

Adora wished she could answer that. Her tight-lipped speechlessness was enough for Angella.

Grounding touches traveled up and down Adora’s arms. “Is there anything I can do to help that?”

“Come home.” Her reply was instantaneous.

Angella turned crestfallen. “I should’ve guessed you would say something like that.”

“Of course I would.” She shrugged, almost offended that her wish wouldn’t be obvious. “You don’t deserve this, a-and Etheria is just  _ not  _ the same without you! It’s not fair at all that you’ve done so much for the Rebellion and you’re just... _ nowhere.” _

“Adora, I am not the only casualty, and I’m no more deserving of a second chance.”

“That’s not the point! If I could bring  _ everyone  _ back I would! But I…” When the tears came unbidden, she tried to hide and shy away.

“Adora…” Angella enveloped her with arms and wings, tucked her head under her chin.

“I miss you. And I wish you were back, because...I don’t know, you made me feel like I was more than I am.”

A sigh. “You’ve gotten these things into your head.” She planted a kiss on the top of her head. “I wish you could see what I see in you.”

“Me too. I’d love to, trust me.” Adora let all her weight rest against that taller frame. “I just want you to come home, to Bright Moon. Glimmer would be  _ so  _ happy and...” She pulled away and searched her eyes. “There  _ has  _ to be a way, right?”

Angella’s sympathy morphed into a stern frown. “No, there is not.”

“If there was a way to go in, there has to be a way to come back out, so-”

“Adora, stop!”

The two women stood their ground. Gazes clashed. Both waged a war they believed in with intensity. 

“I love you.” Angella said with a firm, resounding nod. “I love you. I meant it very much when I said so back then.” Her jaw clenched. “Do  _ not  _ look for me. Not here, nor  _ there.” _

Not even in Adora’s dreams could she have... _ this. _

The smell of spring, the sight of this statue of a woman, her sweet voice and alien lilt forming sounds both sweet and sarcastic.

No reprieve, no heaven.

“I love you too, Angella.” Adora clenched her fists, refusing to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach. Her  _ gut  _ told her this was wrong. “So I can’t stay with that, I can’t settle. It’s just  _ not  _ okay.” 

Angella frowned, “Adora, listen to me-”

“I can’t let you rot in literal nowhere. I  _ have  _ to figure something out!” 

The light rushed towards them eastward. Adora turned away from Angella’s awestruck expression, stormed down the cliff and towards the awakening.


End file.
